Wednesday, January 14

What is a Cherimoya? Perhaps the Greatest Fruit on the Planet.

The cherimoya (pronounced chair-uh-MOY-yuh) is the king of fruit. This is no surprise given that this ancient Incan fruit was originally reserved for royalty.

From external appearances, the cherimoya isn't exactly captivating. It looks more like something out of The Flintstones rather than an exquisite fruit. Don't let its pre-historic appearance put you off. Slice open a cherimoya and you will discover a fragrant, ivory, custard-like flesh, hence its common name "custard apple."

When selecting cherimoyas, look for green skin with a gold hue. Some fruits may be tinged with brown, which is ok; however, avoid fruits that are black or shriveled. Allow cherimoyas to ripen at room temperature. A ripe cherimoya, like a ripe avocado, should yield to gentle pressure, and will have a browner skin. (Note: In the first photo, the green cherimoya in the forefront needs a couple more days to ripen, while the browner cherimoya in the back is ready to eat.)

Once ripe, cherimoyas can be refrigerated for 1-2 days, but they will lose their flavor if kept longer. They are best eaten as soon as they reach full ripeness; their flavor is most intense when eaten at room temperature or just slightly chilled.

What does a cherimoya taste like? A perfectly ripe cherimoya is an intoxicating combination of tropical flavors like bananas, coconut, strawberries, and mangoes. Some people also taste pineapple and papayas. Don't think one fruit could possibly have all of those ambrosial flavors? Then try one to see for yourself.

Slice the fruit in half, and using a spoon, scoop out the flesh. You could sprinkle it first with fresh lime juice; you could add the flesh to a smoothie; you could even make sherbet with it. But don't. It's best unadulterated, when you can truly appreciate its unique flavor and texture. Just be sure you don't eat the shiny, large black seeds inside. Chomping on those will just send you to the dentist's office.

Once you taste a cherimoya's luscious, creamy flesh, you'll understand why Mark Twain called it "the most delicious fruit known to man."

Where can you buy cherimoyas? Most U.S. cherimoyas are grown in CA and are available from early January through April. However, since they're sensitive to temperature changes, the season varies from year to year. Few major supermarkets will likely carry cherimoyas; try specialty and organic markets, or go online to reputatble sites such as Melissas.com. Though they're pricey, they're worth every penny.

66 comments:

I'm jumping up and down with joy at this very moment. Custard apple was a hot favorite during my childhood in India and I simply had no idea I could get it here. Thank you thank you thank you! and Thank you. If you have the patience to deseed it, you could try an Indian sweet called Custard Apple Rabri. Milk thickened to a paste consistency, with slivers of custard apple, flavored with cardammom and saffron. Heaven in a bowl.

Oh Susan, this fruit is delicious. I grew up with this fruit. Back then I didn't care much about it, but now? I miss all of them. Wait until you see fruit called "langsat" popping in CA, you'll probably going to like it too.Thanks for sharing and introducing this exotic fruit to us.Cheers,Elra

Susan I love how you take the time to introduce new fruits on your blog. To me every time I see a "new, tropical, weird fruit" here is like a memory trip for me, as many of them are grown and popular in Brazil. This one is called Fruta do Conde which means The Count's Fruit. It's really fun to spit out the seeds....

Custard apples are very popular in India, but the appearance is slightly different. Custard apple known as sitaphal is also used to make many desserts and sitaphal icecream is a rage in Mumbai, when they are in season.

Both Mark Twain and you re right...this is the most delicious and my absolute fave!!! I just love this one and I grew up eating this a lot....but had no clue that it is available here....when i saw ur title, i thought it's some strange fruit and when i saw the pic, i was like, isn't this custard apple ? :)))

Thank you so much for this post..let me see if i can get 'cherimoya's at our local store :)

Never heard of or saw one before. Isn't it amazing how fruit looks sometimes, this one like a rolled up lizzard skin and that custardy-texture inside. Lovely and when I hear you discribe the flavours....wow! If ever I ran into one here... I know that I'll have to buy one immediately!!

Hola Susan! Thanks for the fantastic description and directions on how to choose and eat a Chirimoya. I have never tried it before although I can find it in the grocers shops. You made my hunger grow for them ;D

Amazing to think that these are available in CA. Or better yet, grown in CA? Wow! They are just starting to come into stores now. I admit, I am not a huge fan, but for me it is more of a texture thing. And I like the tarter taste of it's "cousin" the guanabana (Soursop, I think, in English?)

I want to say chirimoya is one of the most delicious fruits I know, we have them here in Chile. I love them. Im so happy to see you show them, many times I want to make some recipes but I dont because I dont have idea if you know them so I love your post and pictures!!!!!xxGloria

Cherimoyas are closely related to the paw-paw, a native of the Eastern US (you know, the paw paw that's also called banana custard, hoosier banana etc). But it's much easier to find a cherimoya than a pawpaw which is equally delicious. Sigh...

I love custard apples, in fact we've been lucky to have them for very long this season. The ones we get here are deeper ridges, so first when I saw your photo I thought it might be a fruit from the same family. It most definitely wins a spot as one of my top three fav fruits!

cherimoya...i live in spain and you can buy these in supermarkets and fruit shops just as easy as bananas...i have just finished one...amazing everytime...i think sometimes they taste like candy floss...best fruit EVER...thank you

We have been here on beautiful Mau'i all week and we have stopped by a little farmer's market near Kihei a couple times to buy the delicious apple bananas. I bought a cheremoya the other day and it was finally ripe enough to cut into today. Delicious! I have seen these in the store in the hispanic produce section in Kansas City, Kansas but they're expensive. I will have to start buying them periodically. The closest thing we have to this in the wild is the paw paw Asimina triloba which is native to Kansas and Missouri and is similar to a banana custard when ripe.

I was intrigued by the cherimoya after watching 'Chopped' on theFood Network. The Chefs used thisfruit in preparing a desert for the last contest. I had never heard of it before so I googled it. I will search around in Chicago for cherimoya although I am a bit scared of the seeds!

Susan, I got the carrot-tasting Cherimoya at H-mart (a Korean/Asian market) in Lynnwood, Washington. And it was definitely a Cherimoya - that's what it said, and it looks like the pictures I've seen. I guess I need to try another one, hopefully I'll have better luck!

Well I tried my second Cherimoya, and this time I let it ripen for a couple of days. It tasted better. But I could still taste the carrot flavor. Maybe I'll let the next one ripen for 3 days. Or wait until it's turned all brown! How do I know when it's at its peak ripeness?

carrot guy-So bizarre that it still tastes like carrot.To test ripeness: Place it in the palm of your hand and give it a gentle squeeze. It should give slightly but not be so mushy that it squishes in your hand. Some fully ripe cherimoyas have some brown streaks on them, but completely green ones can also be ripe. So the touch test is the best.

I was told (by my landlord, who picked it off his tree) that it should be as soft as a ripe banana, and that worked just right. Sooooo goooood. There's a strong pear taste, blended with a little coconut-like milk.